15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
And perhaps that's something we can follow up with the Cabinet Secretary about how that will be distributed, just to confirm with you as well.
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
Yes, just to say, I think this is something that has been welcomed by local authorities and I think it'll help them to finance around £60 million of capital funding, particularly on highways management and fixing our roads. Reg or Judith will tell you about…
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
Thank you, Peter. Yes, general capital funding is increasing by £20 million to £200 million to support the inflationary cost pressures and to give more flexibility to authorities in financing smaller capital projects, refurbishment schemes and schemes such as…
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
Well, like I say, I think there's nothing really much to add now onto that, because we do understand that—we hear from local authorities what they think works best for them, and how they can respond to those needs of their population. Those discussions go on…
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
No, but I'm not quite sure what you want from that question, then, in terms of what you could suggest that would improve that, apart from taking—
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
I think Reg has said about the grants that go out in addition to that, and I think that that does give us that lever as well. We're also in conversations with local government. They tell us some of the pressures. We've got something here from the WLGA, but…
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
No, but in terms of what people expect. If somebody has a particular care issue, there's a difference between what they can expect. We need to deal with that person's issue. And I think that we just have to be very clear that it is a difficult balance to…
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
Well, I think that, in terms of having that unhypothecated funding, it gives that flexibility to local authorities to respond to the needs of their population. As you say, there will be different pressures, perhaps, or similar pressures but to different…
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
I think there’s hope that there will be that basis for planning in future years. So, I can say that. And I do recognise the challenge for them. But, again, we’re working with what can we do, and how Welsh Government works within our constraints is the same as…
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
It is, yes.
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
Yes, I think, as I said, it’s very difficult to answer—
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
Yes, absolutely, and, obviously, we heard the reflections as well, and it’s very stark. You’ll understand that we’ve given as much stability as we can within what we’re able to do, based on the stability that we have as a Government, and I’m very aware of…
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
I think there's always a challenge, isn't there, when you're looking at budgets, and how the different pressures affect. As I was able to say in the earlier session today around the increase to adaptations grants, which I think is really important, I've been…
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
I completely understand that. Staff costs are a high proportion of the total costs for local authorities. Many authorities are managing vacancies as a way of managing budgets. We have provided £52.3 million in 2024-25 as additional funding to support…
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
I'm sure there would be a way to note that when the protocol with local government is complete.
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
Oh, sorry. The work is ongoing, anyway, Cadeirydd.
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
Like I say, I'm sure that discussion within the group will continue. Sorry, Chair, Carolyn had a question at the end of that, just around the section 114 notices, and I think perhaps it's important to respond to that. Just to say that local authorities are…
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
Could I just bring Reg back in on the more general points? I think you wanted to come in on those.
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
Yes, absolutely. Judith's very much at the heart of that and goes to many meetings around it.
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
I think it's important that we do the work with local government, and I think that this is an area that is complex. Even when we're talking about older populations, we've got to recognise there are differences within that as well, because some might need—…
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
Diolch. Thank you. Obviously, there's a range of questions here, but they're all touching on the same themes, really, aren't they? Just again to say on record here in committee, given the range of the increases this year in the funding formula and the…
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
It hasn't really changed a huge amount in the table, particularly, but Judith—
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
So, I think there was a very minor change, wasn't there, and I don't know if Judith wants to just mention how there was a minor—. I think it's quite a minor change.
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
Sorry, I haven't answered—
15 Ionawr 2025 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Craffu ar Gyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Sesiwn dystiolaeth gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol (Llywodraeth Leol)
No, absolutely. So, just to say, in terms of the reserves, you are right that we are seeing a decrease in the number of usable reserves. That's a decrease of usable reserves of around £170 million in the previous year. So, the biggest falls are in school…
